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John Johnson's five fantasy football bold predictions for Week 6 of the 2026 NFL season. Expert predictions for James Cook, Tyler Shough, Nico Collins, MarShawn Lloyd, and Bucky Irving.
Yours truly is back again for more -- as in more bold predictions that are bold enough that most of them could reasonably be used to clown on the author quickly after the games in which these players are involved finish.
But even if only a few -- or none -- of them end up being true, it's at least worth investigating players that appear to have a good chance of either exceeding expectations or disappointing fantasy managers with poor performances.
One thing that can never be taken away from bold predictions, though, is that they're fun to think about, and when backed up with solid evidence, can help you make proper start-and-sit decisions in your leagues, or good DFS plays. So let's dive into five more bold predictions, this time for Week 6 of 2026!
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James Cook III Racks Up 200 Rushing Yards
Buffalo Bills running back James Cook III fumbled the ball twice in Week 5 in what's becoming a big problem for this season. He has four fumbles on the season through five games, two of which he's lost, and it's gotten bad enough that Bills head coach Joe Brady had something to say about it.
Joe Brady threatens James Cook’s playing time: “We’re putting the ball in harm’s way.. It’s negating all the positive.. I have confidence in him.. At some point there has to be consequences..It’s gotta improve or the carries are gonna decrease.” https://t.co/QdtGWnHmji
— alex brasky (@alexbrasky) October 13, 2026
After suggesting that Cook would have carries taken away from him, he likely realized that it was a stupid thing to say about his number one running back, who led the NFL in rushing yards last season and has been a cornerstone of the offense for multiple seasons now.
Joe Brady makes it clear James Cook is still going to get his carries despite fumbles: “I don’t want you to think I’m going to stop giving James Cook the ball.”
Added: “I don’t want James running any more timid.. He’s playing outstanding.. Idk if anyone is running ball better.” https://t.co/zXrqsiNnN2
— alex brasky (@alexbrasky) October 14, 2026
It's also worth questioning the level of talent behind Cook, and whether a reasonable head coach would want to take carries away from someone as talented of a rusher as No. 4 and give them to players like RBs Ray Davis and Ty Johnson.
Neither of them has shown a competitive level of talent when compared to Cook. Aside from the fumbles, another disappointing facet of Cook's game has been his lack of passing game usage after offseason rumors that he would be much more involved as a receiver.
Even though that hasn't happened, fantasy managers who are considering benching Cook for Week 6 should just step back, take a breath, and remember that he's one of the NFL's most explosive tailbacks. He's also the RB10 in PPR fantasy football leagues this season.
FUMBLE 🚨Nate Landman punches it out and Aaron Donald recovers!
@BUFvsLAR on ESPN
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/oUWPBMxS6h— NFL (@NFL) October 13, 2026
Putting the ball on the ground is really ugly, and it almost cost his team the game against the Los Angeles Rams. But an extremely easy matchup is upcoming for Cook. He gets to face the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 6.
They're second in the NFL in yards per carry allowed to opposing rushers, at a ridiculous clip of 5.2 per carry. They have one of the worst run-stuffing defensive lines in the league, and rank near the bottom in ESPN's Run Stop Win Rate metric.
Raiders Defensive Rankings:
Total Defense: 19th
Passing Defense: 8th
Rushing Defense: 27th
3rd Down Defense: 19th
Red Zone Defense: 29thIdeally the game plan would lean into the rushing attack, but I’m not sure with how it’s looked so far. https://t.co/o9V83ykyYl
— Boston Buzzer (@TheBostonBuzzer) October 10, 2026
They also just got blown out by the New England Patriots, so their hot start to the season is cooling. And the Bills have arguably the best run-blocking offensive line in pro football. They've been elite for years, but have stepped it up even further.
All the pieces are in place for a Cook "revenge" game of sorts. He has a chance to prove himself in a pillow-soft matchup against a struggling defense, is playing in the best offense in the NFL, and has elite blocking to open up big lanes for him to run through.
Tyler Shough Bounces Back With 25+ Fantasy Points
Shough's Week 5 can be thrown in the trash, because every team that goes against the Minnesota Vikings struggles mightily on offense this season. Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores is making a strong case for another head coaching position.
Though his last tenure as the skipper of an NFL team didn't go well, it's impossible to ignore just how dominant Minnesota's defense has been. Last week, they shut down the Saints offense, holding elite WR Chris Olave to under 50 receiving yards and pummeling Shough all night.
Shough scored just 1.84 fantasy points in Week 5, throwing for only 96 yards, zero touchdowns, and two interceptions, and not rushing a single time. It was his first single-digit fantasy point outing this season after he averaged over 22 fantasy points per game in his first four contests.
Those games were the norm, with last game being the exception. The Saints have an excellent offense with a high pace of play and good play design. They are capable of pushing the ball down the field through the air, and Shough still has underrated rushing upside.
TYLER SHOUGH. SAINTS LEAD.
NOvsTB on CBS/Paramount+
https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt https://t.co/SHsqgDKaGA— NFL (@NFL) December 7, 2025
This is a perfect opportunity to send offers out for Shough in all your leagues. Later in the season, early first-round draft pick WR Jordyn Tyson (hamstring) should return and give Shough even more upside.
Nico Collins Catches 10+ Passes, 150+ Yards, 2 Touchdowns+
The Jaguars have long been a team that Collins treats like a doormat. He's regularly stomped them over the past three seasons. Dating back to November of 2023, Collins has eclipsed 100 receiving yards in every game versus this particular divisional rival.
He averages over 24 PPR fantasy points per game over that stretch, and this season, Jacksonville is still struggling against outside receivers. The drafting of cornerback Travis Hunter helped in that area, but he doesn't shadow opposing teams' No. 1 receivers.
Even in games where Collins dominates, he gets an inexcusably low amount of targets. He should have seen at least 14 passes come his way against the Dallas Cowboys. But despite his thrashing of them, he only saw eight targets. That has to change, or Caley won't last much longer as OC.
MarShawn Lloyd Rushes For 100+ Yards
Lloyd has come nowhere close to rushing for 100 yards in a game this season. His high this year was 37 rushing yards on under 2.9 yards per carry in Week 1, in fact. There isn't much precedent for Lloyd to have a big rushing day.
But a game against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 6 could change that. The Cowboys easily have one of the worst defenses in the NFL. It's too early to say if the hiring of defensive coordinator Christian Parker was the wrong idea, but the run defense has especially suffered under his guidance.
Bucky Irving out and running!
@TBvsDAL on Prime Video
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/tLym5RtEYd— NFL (@NFL) October 9, 2026
It's another year, and another season in which Dallas just doesn't seem to be able to figure out how to tackle. Ever since star linebacker Micah Parsons (knee) left the team, the Cowboys have had a lackluster defensive unit that's bad at getting pressure and bad at stuffing runs.
Lloyd is in a good position to rip off a few big runs and end up breaking the century mark, considering RB Josh Jacobs isn't eligible to return yet and RB Chris Brooks (ankle) is on injured reserve.
Bucky Irving Gets Bottled Up Vs Steelers
After a breakout effort against the Cowboys in which Irving rushed for 165 yards and one touchdown, averaging over 7.8 yards per carry, he faces stiffer competition in the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 6.
Buccaneers starting quarterback Baker Mayfield (thumb) still won't be able to return in Week 6. It will be undrafted free agent Jalon Daniels filling in at signal-caller. The Bucs beat the Cowboys last week, but Daniels' play is still quite rough.
Jalon Daniels finds Bucky Irving out of the backfield and he stretches out for 6️⃣
@TBvsDAL on Prime Video
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/cVDNdiW57J— NFL (@NFL) October 9, 2026
Irving averaged under four yards per carry, and Daniels threw two interceptions against the Green Bay Packers just two weeks ago. Irving should be held under 70 rushing yards again, though Daniels would be wise to throw to him more than zero times.
